Introduction

The epic of Princess Yennenga, which forms the backdrop to our story, emerges from the Middle Ages in Africa, and recounts what humanity can offer in terms of exquisiteness, grace and pugnacity. It also bears witness to the indelible mark of women in our conquests, of women in the history of our societies, of women in the face of Africa’s destiny. During the Middle Ages, the West of Africa was the scene of a prodigious adventure by a young girl destined to build nobility, freedom and greatness.   

The first step towards a great destiny

This story, whose every word is full of meaning, has travelled from generation to generation, through the oral wisdom of the griots, to reach us. Yennenga was born in the city of Gambaga in present-day Ghana, where her loving father Nedega ruled a large kingdom with justice and righteousness. The princess grew up with a passion for horses and the need to ride alongside men, carry weapons of war and participate in the glory of her kingdom on the battlefield. Her father consented to her wishes, and from her father’s palace where she was head of the royal cavalry, she proved her bravery and courage on the warlike expeditions in which she was engaged.

Love, destiny and providence

An astute cavalrywoman, Yennenga has established herself in her father’s army as an indispensable fighter respected by her peers. Despite the harsh realities of her profession, she became a beautiful and desirable young woman. In fact, she received several marriage proposals, which her father rejected. It was then that she fled her homeland on her white stallion, in the face of her father’s intransigence. The fateful breath of destiny and, above all, her ideal of justice and freedom led her to unknown lands, towards her future husband Rialé, whom she met in a forest, also in search of an escape from the fatality of a foreordained existence. Their love will give birth to a great chief who will found the first Mossi kingdom, one of the foundations of Burkina Faso. 

Conclusion

The story of Princess Yennega is ultimately the story of a quest for freedom, freeing ourselves from our fears and overcoming our weaknesses, with the conviction that tenacity and courage open up a world of possibilities; of conquest, escaping from established comfort zones, forging ahead and exploring new spaces of emergence and emancipation; of greatness, the fruit of an unlikely and natural love. It’s also the Middle Ages in West Africa, from the apogee of the empire of Ghana in the 11th century, through the kouroukan fougan charter of the Manding kings and Mansa Moussa’s journey to Mecca in the early 14th century, marching proudly and uprightly, brandishing the beautiful colors of an erudite and prosperous Africa.